MANAPHANTASTIC
A Team by Intristical
(formerly known as EmeraldSensei)
Introduction
Hello OU. This is my first RMT, and I decided
to make a team around one of my favorite
Pokemon in the OU tier, Manaphy! I have had this
team for a while now, and had a lot of success with this
team on low-ladder (my average was around 1300ish)
Let's get started!
Teambuilding Process
One of Manaphy's main niches in OU is being a good set-up sweeper with Tail Glow. However, I usually see this Pokemon, with teams in the past, always die because it's too slow and always gets revenge-killed.
To prevent this, I would make it faster by pairing it up with Scolipede to Baton-Pass it Speed.
I needed a good Stealth-Rock setter and Hazard-Controller. Excadrill was my first choice.
Then, I wanted a reliable back-up sweeper in case Manaphy was down, and was bulky enough to sponge hits. After looking through the Compedium, I chose Offensive DD Mega-Altaria.
I realized I was really weak to bulky Steel-Types like Metagross or Scizor. I looked really weak to Ground, so instead of something like Chandelure, I picked Talonflame.
Finally, I needed something that would status things and open opportunities for Manaphy to sweep. Thunder Wave Celebi looked like an okay choice, because it took care of the Water-type weakness and it provided a check to Keldeo.
Afterward, I looked at the team again after playing with it a few times.
- First, I changed Celebi to a Spore + PuP Technician Breloom.
Celebi opened up WAY too many weaknesses, and I didn't use it that often anyway. Brelooom fills in the role of Mega-Altaria, by being a physical backup sweeper.
- Next, I switched Talonflame with Raikou.
Talonflame didn't hard enough. Specs Raikou handles more threats, and Manaphy could 2HKO and OHKO those steel-types anyway.
- Also, I switched Mega-Altaria with Chansey.
I needed a cleric. Chnasey also provided special bulk, which was needed.
- Finally, I changed Excadrill to Gliscor.
Since I had a Fighting Weakness, Gliscor seemed appropriate. It also formed a VoltTurn core with Raikou.
The Team
Aurasma (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Ah, the star of my team. This is my main win-condition/ sweeper, and its coverage of Water-Ice-Grass makes it very hard to counter. The EV spread was to maximize bulk, because a +3 Speed boost outspeeds EVERYTHING in the tier and the speed EVs were redundant. I would normally go for a Tail Glow on the first turn, because almost nothing unboosted would take Manaphy out, and then I would normally then take the other opponent's team out. NOTHING. WILL. STOP. MANAPHY. (Well, maybe a few things do, and I'll discuss that in the Checks and Counters section)
Skedaddle (Scolipede) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Poison Jab
Part of my main win-condition. After Manaphy's main checks have been taken out, out comes Scolipede. Scolipede's double resists make it a good switch-in for many physical attackers, like Breloom. The strategy is to Protect first turn, Sub next turn, then Protect third turn. Another good thing about Scolipede is that its typing lures in Fire types and things that generally can't harm Manaphy, so Manaphy gets a free set-up turn. Poison Jab makes Scolipede not Taunt bait and provides a handy Poison hax.
Ragnerock (Gliscor) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Gliscor's job is simple. It comes in early game to get Rocks down, and get Rocks up. Stealth Rock is necessary to OHKO Unaware Clefable with Manaphy, and to OHKO Ferrothorn with a +6 Ice Beam Manaphy. I had to have Hyper Cutter instead of Poison Heal because APPARENTLY Defog was not compatible with Poison Heal. Gliscor's immunities help it switch-in often and U-Turn away to keep momentum. This is my main physical wall.
ZEUS (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch
Raikou is a huge wallbreaker. It handles checks like Ferrothorn and Mega-Pinsir, and is the reason why I don't panic when Manaphy dies. Raikou can also be a late-game cleaner, because not many things resist this set.
Sunnyside (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Seismic Toss
- Healing Wish
- Thunder Wave
A rather strange set. I picked Chansey over Clefable, since Chansey has fewer weaknesses and has more overall bulk. Thunder Wave is for those pesky sweepers or Prankster Users. Aromatherapy is there because Manaphy is obviously not going to go very far if it is paralyzaed or poisoned. Finally, Healing Wish is for that poor Raikou or Breloom at 1HP so Chansey can give them another chansey (pun intended) to do damage.
Guevara (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Power-Up Punch
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
Ah yes, that one set given to you by Smogon. Surprisingly, this set works. Scolipede can Baton Pass over some Speed increases, and then Breloom Spores. Then, this can go two ways. Breloom can then go to Manaphy to Wail Glow and then sweep, or it can sweep itself by Pup'ing a few times. Focus sash was mandatory, because of BirdSpam.
Checks And Counters: [will add more later] - Strong Priority Users, Thundurus, Prankster Sableye, Pinsir-Mega
Importable: [show]
Conclusion
So, this was a very fun team to use, albeit gimmicky. This was mainly focused on Manaphy, but there were a lot of battles when Manaphy died and Breloom or Raikou sweeped. I just really liked this team. However, I feel there is a lot I can change. Thanks for reading. Please rate!
A Team by Intristical
(formerly known as EmeraldSensei)
Introduction
Hello OU. This is my first RMT, and I decided
to make a team around one of my favorite
Pokemon in the OU tier, Manaphy! I have had this
team for a while now, and had a lot of success with this
team on low-ladder (my average was around 1300ish)
Let's get started!
Teambuilding Process
One of Manaphy's main niches in OU is being a good set-up sweeper with Tail Glow. However, I usually see this Pokemon, with teams in the past, always die because it's too slow and always gets revenge-killed.
To prevent this, I would make it faster by pairing it up with Scolipede to Baton-Pass it Speed.
I needed a good Stealth-Rock setter and Hazard-Controller. Excadrill was my first choice.
Then, I wanted a reliable back-up sweeper in case Manaphy was down, and was bulky enough to sponge hits. After looking through the Compedium, I chose Offensive DD Mega-Altaria.
I realized I was really weak to bulky Steel-Types like Metagross or Scizor. I looked really weak to Ground, so instead of something like Chandelure, I picked Talonflame.
Finally, I needed something that would status things and open opportunities for Manaphy to sweep. Thunder Wave Celebi looked like an okay choice, because it took care of the Water-type weakness and it provided a check to Keldeo.
Afterward, I looked at the team again after playing with it a few times.
- First, I changed Celebi to a Spore + PuP Technician Breloom.
Celebi opened up WAY too many weaknesses, and I didn't use it that often anyway. Brelooom fills in the role of Mega-Altaria, by being a physical backup sweeper.
- Next, I switched Talonflame with Raikou.
Talonflame didn't hard enough. Specs Raikou handles more threats, and Manaphy could 2HKO and OHKO those steel-types anyway.
- Also, I switched Mega-Altaria with Chansey.
I needed a cleric. Chnasey also provided special bulk, which was needed.
- Finally, I changed Excadrill to Gliscor.
Since I had a Fighting Weakness, Gliscor seemed appropriate. It also formed a VoltTurn core with Raikou.
The Team
Aurasma (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Ah, the star of my team. This is my main win-condition/ sweeper, and its coverage of Water-Ice-Grass makes it very hard to counter. The EV spread was to maximize bulk, because a +3 Speed boost outspeeds EVERYTHING in the tier and the speed EVs were redundant. I would normally go for a Tail Glow on the first turn, because almost nothing unboosted would take Manaphy out, and then I would normally then take the other opponent's team out. NOTHING. WILL. STOP. MANAPHY. (Well, maybe a few things do, and I'll discuss that in the Checks and Counters section)
Skedaddle (Scolipede) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Poison Jab
Part of my main win-condition. After Manaphy's main checks have been taken out, out comes Scolipede. Scolipede's double resists make it a good switch-in for many physical attackers, like Breloom. The strategy is to Protect first turn, Sub next turn, then Protect third turn. Another good thing about Scolipede is that its typing lures in Fire types and things that generally can't harm Manaphy, so Manaphy gets a free set-up turn. Poison Jab makes Scolipede not Taunt bait and provides a handy Poison hax.
Ragnerock (Gliscor) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Gliscor's job is simple. It comes in early game to get Rocks down, and get Rocks up. Stealth Rock is necessary to OHKO Unaware Clefable with Manaphy, and to OHKO Ferrothorn with a +6 Ice Beam Manaphy. I had to have Hyper Cutter instead of Poison Heal because APPARENTLY Defog was not compatible with Poison Heal. Gliscor's immunities help it switch-in often and U-Turn away to keep momentum. This is my main physical wall.
ZEUS (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch
Raikou is a huge wallbreaker. It handles checks like Ferrothorn and Mega-Pinsir, and is the reason why I don't panic when Manaphy dies. Raikou can also be a late-game cleaner, because not many things resist this set.
Sunnyside (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Seismic Toss
- Healing Wish
- Thunder Wave
A rather strange set. I picked Chansey over Clefable, since Chansey has fewer weaknesses and has more overall bulk. Thunder Wave is for those pesky sweepers or Prankster Users. Aromatherapy is there because Manaphy is obviously not going to go very far if it is paralyzaed or poisoned. Finally, Healing Wish is for that poor Raikou or Breloom at 1HP so Chansey can give them another chansey (pun intended) to do damage.
Guevara (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Power-Up Punch
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
Ah yes, that one set given to you by Smogon. Surprisingly, this set works. Scolipede can Baton Pass over some Speed increases, and then Breloom Spores. Then, this can go two ways. Breloom can then go to Manaphy to Wail Glow and then sweep, or it can sweep itself by Pup'ing a few times. Focus sash was mandatory, because of BirdSpam.
Checks And Counters: [will add more later] - Strong Priority Users, Thundurus, Prankster Sableye, Pinsir-Mega
Importable: [show]
Aurasma (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Skedaddle (Scolipede) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Poison Jab
Ragnerock (Gliscor) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
ZEUS (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Sunnyside (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Seismic Toss
- Healing Wish
- Thunder Wave
Guevara (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Power-Up Punch
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
[/show]
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Skedaddle (Scolipede) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Poison Jab
Ragnerock (Gliscor) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
ZEUS (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Sunnyside (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Seismic Toss
- Healing Wish
- Thunder Wave
Guevara (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Power-Up Punch
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
[/show]
So, this was a very fun team to use, albeit gimmicky. This was mainly focused on Manaphy, but there were a lot of battles when Manaphy died and Breloom or Raikou sweeped. I just really liked this team. However, I feel there is a lot I can change. Thanks for reading. Please rate!
Last edited:
